


No Way

by Sasa_Q



Category: Star Trek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28787115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasa_Q/pseuds/Sasa_Q
Summary: Lt. Aamin Mara, a Cardassian counselor on the USS Bartholomew, wakes up as a Bajoran. He has a lot of feelings.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8
Collections: USS Tribble Threat





	No Way

When Aamin Mara woke up, even before he opened his eyes, he knew there was something wrong. It was only confirmed when he opened them. His skin! It was a different color! Instead of a pleasant light gray (at least, he had always considered the shade to be pleasant) it was... whitish? No, not whitish. More like... peach?

The next affront came when Aamin sat up and immediately realized that he had no tail. He normally slept on his side with his tail stretched out on the bed, and it was just- gone! He pulled back his covers in a vain hope that his tail would somehow be there, but of course, it wasn't.

Aamin got out of bed and went to his mirror. His eyes widened in shock as he saw himself. His face was the same shade of peach as his hands, and his hair was black and curly, as usual. But he wasn't looking at his skin color or his hair. What he was looking at was the fact that his face not only didn't have ridges, scales, or a chufa, but that the bridge of his nose was... wrinkled. Almost as if he was... well, a Bajoran.

"No way," Aamin breathed, staring at his reflection. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, almost expecting the wrinkles to come off, like face paint. But the wrinkles didn't come off. In fact, he could feel them under his fingers.

Aamin found his com badge and tapped it. "Mara to Nazana'zato. What's going on?"

Nazana'zato answered his com. "I think there's been some sort of anomaly," he said. "Because, and I swear I'm not lying, apparently I'm an Andorian now. Everyone on this ship, all our species have been changed."

"I appear to be a Bajoran," said Aamin.

"Tough luck," said Nazana'zato. "I'll let you know when things are back to normal."

"If they get back to normal," Aamin said.

"Don't worry so much, Mara," said Nazana'zato. "I'm sure everything will be fine soon. Nazana'zato out."

So Aamin was left alone in his quarters to deal with the situation. He found that, although his species appeared to be different, his clothes had remained the same. There was now an embarrassingly large hole in the back of his pajama pants and underwear, where his tail used to stick out.

First thing's first, Aamin thought (it was a human saying he liked). Time to take a shower. He stripped off his clothes and found that, worst of all, he was, well, no longer a Cardassian in the downstairs area either. I don't think I can live with this, he thought with a shudder.

He had a vain hope that when he got out of the shower, he would be back to being a Cardassian, but that was not the case. Not only was he still a Bajoran, he was a Bajoran without clothes that fit him. Aamin got to work punching in specification for a new uniform in science blue. Several minutes later, he was all set for the day, even though he felt really weird without a tail.

But he felt like there was one thing missing. He didn't know much about Bajoran customs, but he had never seen a Bajoran without an earring on their right ear, so he thought it would be only respectful to replicate himself one. A few minutes later and after specifying a few requirements, a clip-on earring materialized in his personal replicator. A bit uncertain, he clasped it to his right ear.

Aamin went to the mirror and took a good look at his face, sitting down in front of the mirror. As much as he hated to admit it, he was getting nervous. What if Nazana'zato was wrong, and he was going to stay this way forever? He didn't exactly think there was anything wrong with being Bajoran, but he had taken so long to get the body he wanted, years of hormone therapy and surgery... and now to be in another body that wasn't... well, wasn't his? It was a lot to handle.

But that much he could handle. What he couldn't deal with was the fact that he was a Bajoran, of all species. Why did it have to be Bajoran? Aamin didn't have anything against that species, but being friends with Bajorans was very different from being a Bajoran himself.

Aamin looked at himself in the mirror, and although he could see his pale face and his wrinkled nose and that earring he was wearing, all he could really see was death. Over ten million Bajorans had been murdered in the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. That had been so wrong. This was wrong. All of this was wrong.

Against his will, Aamin started to cry. "I can't do this," he cried. "A Cardassian, turned into a Bajoran, it's just wrong. It's cruel. It's like punishment. But I never did anything WRONG to Bajorans. I was too young. Too young..." He stopped being able to breathe right. Sobs shook his shoulders, and they heaved in a cruel mockery of breath, but he didn't feel any air in his lungs. He thought he was going to pass out.

Breathe in four seconds, breathe hold for four seconds, breathe out for four seconds, Aamin tried to tell himself. Better yet, just try to breathe. Breathe, Aamin, breathe.

Eventually, his breathing became more normal. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror. He looked like a mess. His face was stained with tears, and his eyes were all red.

"You're not a very good Bajoran, are you," he said aloud to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone's reading this... yay! You read this far! Hope you're doing well!


End file.
